Protein-protein interactions between sigma factor σ(R) and its corresponding zinc-binding anti-sigma (ZAS) protein RsrA trigger the thioredoxin system for maintaining cellular redox homeostasis in S. coelicolor. RsrA bound to zinc associates with σ(R), inhibiting its transcriptional activity in a reducing environment. During disulfide stress it forms intramolecular disulfide bonds, leading to z...

Various drug-induced taste disorders have been ascribed to zinc deficiency in serum. Assuming that the zinc deficiency is caused by the chelating reaction of zinc ions with drugs, the electrode potential of the Zn(2+)/Zn(Hg) system was measured in the presence of drugs in water, ethanol, and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The zinc-chelating ability was estimated based on the potential change Delt...

Single crystals of glycine zinc sulfate penta-hydrate [systematic name: hexa-aqua-zinc tetra-aquadiglycinezinc bis-(sulfate)], [Zn(H2O)6][Zn(C2H5NO2)2(H2O)4](SO4)2, have been grown by isothermal evaporation from aqueous solution at room temperature and characterized by single-crystal neutron diffraction. The unit cell contains two unique ZnO6 octa-hedra on sites of symmetry -1 and two SO4 tetra...

Chelatable, or mobile, forms of zinc play critical signaling roles in numerous biological processes. Elucidating the action of mobile Zn(II) in complex biological environments requires sensitive tools for visualizing, tracking, and manipulating Zn(II) ions. A large toolbox of synthetic photoinduced electron transfer (PET)-based fluorescent Zn(II) sensors are available, but the applicability of ...

Presented is an African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus) following zinc ingestion. The sick rat was lethargic, withdrawn, had soft, mucus-impregnated faeces and diahorrea, foot twitching and icterus. Comparative age, sex and body weight (b.wt.)-matched analyses were made with a healthy giant rat. Twelve-hourly Urine volume (UV), Haematocrit (Hct), urinary glucose, plasma zinc and Alkaline Phosp...

Thermoanaerobacter brockii alcohol dehydrogenase (TbADH) catalyzes the reversible oxidation of secondary alcohols to the corresponding ketones using NADP(+) as the cofactor. The active site of the enzyme contains a zinc ion that is tetrahedrally coordinated by four protein residues. The enzymatic reaction leads to the formation of a ternary enzyme-cofactor-substrate complex; and catalytic hydri...

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), which is widely used to assess protein purity and molecular weight [1], is best combined with a highly sensitive, reproducible, inexpensive, rapid, and easy to perform protein staining/detection method. Coomassie brilliant blue (CBB)1 staining is a popular method, known for its simplicity, economy, and compatibility with downstream analysis but relativ...

GroES is an indispensable chaperonin virtually found throughout all life forms. Consequently, mutations of this protein must be critically scrutinized by natural selection. Nevertheless, the homolog from a potentially virulent gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori, strikingly features a histidine/cysteine-rich C terminus that shares no significant homology with other family members. Additionall...

Dystrophin forms part of a vital link between actin cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix via the transmembrane adhesion receptor dystroglycan. Dystrophin and its autosomal homologue utrophin interact with beta-dystroglycan via their highly conserved C-terminal cysteine-rich regions, comprising the WW domain (protein-protein interaction domain containing two conserved tryptophan residues), EF h...

Mutations in the XNP/ATR-X gene, located in Xq13.3, are associated with several X linked mental retardation syndromes, the best known being alpha thalassaemia with mental retardation (ATR-X). The XNP/ATR-X protein belongs to the family of SWI/SNF DNA helicases and contains three C2-C2 type zinc fingers of unknown function. Previous studies have shown that 65% of mutations of XNP have been found...